Washington Fire Chief Tom Johnston said by the time a passerby alerted emergency services a little after 5 a.m., the older cape had already burned to the ground.

According to Johnston, renovations to the house were due to be completed sometime in the next few weeks. Johnston said utilities were hooked up to the home, but was unoccupied at the time of the blaze.

Mutual aid groups mobilizing to assist were called off by Washington Deputy Fire Chief Phil Meunier, and the Washington Fire Department extinguished the remains of the fire.

Neighbor Barry Pitcher said he awoke between 4:15 and 4:20 a.m. and heard something that sounded like an explosion. Pitcher said he immediately returned to sleep, believing the sound to be that of a snowplow colliding with another object.

Johnston said the sound was that of a plow truck's tire exploding. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Courier Publications reporter Bane Okholm can be reached at 594-4401 ext. 125 or by email at bokholm@courierpublicationsllc.com.